I ran across the following article this week while catching up on reading some of my "junk mail"...the re-introduction of elk in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was news that I had missed. This article is from "Friend of Wildlife", The Journal of North Carolina Wildlife Federation, Volume 53/Number 1, Fall 2005. Does anyone have first hand knowledge of how the reintroduction is going? As the article suggests, this was a 5-year experiment, which means that next year decisions will be made. Activities such as this make me wish I could relocate to the park! Maybe one day I'll get to move closer to that area...gotta get the kids through college first!


"Discover Elk in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

On September 24, join us for an afternoon and evening spent with the reintroduced elk herd at Great Smoky Mountains National Park! We'll visit the park at an optimum observation time during the mating and bugling period for these magnificent animals, and have a park wildlife biologist on hand to give us a history of the amazing reintroduction of elk to the Southeast. The experimental release of elk into Great Smoky Mountains National Park began in February, 2001. All elk are radio collared and are monitored during the five-year experimental phase of the project.

Elk once roamed the Southern Appalachians and elsewhere in the eastern United States. They were eliminated from the region by over-hunting and loss of habitat. The last elk in North Carolina is believed to have been killed in the late 1700s. In Tennessee, the last elk was killed in the mid-1800s.

During the fall, male elk make their legendary bugling calls to challenge other bulls and attract cows. Their calls may be heard a mile or more away. Large bulls use their antlers to intimidate and spar with other males. During the "rut" in September and early October, dominant bulls gather and breed with harems of up to 20 cows.

Please consider bringing binoculars, snacks, and water. We will be meeting the wildlife biologist at 4:20 p.m. on Saturday, September 24. A $50.00 program fee will support North Carolina Wildlife Federation's Great Smoky Mountains National Park habitiat conservation project. Call (704) 332-5696 to register."